I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love ghost stories. Pretty much anything that can make me feel scared at night is going to be of interest to me. I love ghost stories or supernatural stories that will scare me to death, but I also enjoy reading stories that make me think. This novel did a bit of both for me.
Iris and her father are the last members of the Villarca family. For generations, the Villarcas have been haunted by a mysterious entity simply known as “her”. Her origins are a mystery but her purpose is clear: if a Villarca gets married, or falls in love, or has a child, she will come and there will be death. Iris made a promise to her father: she will always be alone. But when she is 15, Iris breaks it. She falls in love – and there are dire consequences.
This novel can be a bit confusing because it is not a linear story. Each chapter is written by a different person who has been affected by “her”. In order to read this novel, you need to pay careful attention or else you will find yourself utterly lost. That being said, I found the story to be highly engrossing. I enjoyed putting the pieces together and seeing how the Villarca curse has affected those in the Villarca family line, as well as those who aren’t directly a part of this family. I liked the fact that the story didn’t flow smoothly; I enjoyed the jarring effect of being caught up in one story just to be yanked out and put into another. It made the reading of this novel so much fun! I also quite liked the way the author resolved the issue of the curse and how she ended everything. This novel definitely gave me chills here and there but it made me think more than anything. Overall, a really interesting ghost story that I enjoyed very much!
Happy reading ~